The void of the Heaven-Piercing Ancient Vine Star Domain was still trembling from the aftershocks of the battle. The shattered spatial cracks were slowly healing within the vine domain, and the array patterns around the transport vehicle stabilized again. However, the atmosphere within the team was extremely tense. All eyes were focused on the two Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators who had remained silent.
Facing the gazes of the crowd, one of them finally spoke slowly, trying to keep his tone calm. "Fellow Daoists, you have misunderstood. We did not intentionally refrain from attacking, it's just... before we could even make a move, you had already Annihilation those three."
Another person immediately chimed in, "That's right. We were just preparing our supernatural abilities, but the battle was over before we could even make a move. We weren't just watching maliciously."
However, this explanation did not lower everyone's guard. Shen Qingchen frowned deeply, took a step forward, and stared coldly at the two of them. "That's not right."
His voice gradually lowered. "Whether it was the argument or the fierce battle just now, I've been observing you all."
Shen Qingchen's gaze was as sharp as a knife. "Neither of you showed any sign of wanting to make a move from beginning to end."
As soon as he finished speaking, the escorting cultivator at the Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage in the group also spoke slowly. His divine sense had already locked onto the two people, and his tone was clearly wary. "I noticed you just now too."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Moreover, the Fate Soul auras of both of you... carries the aura of the Ancient God Clan."
These words struck like a thunderbolt, and everyone's expressions instantly turned solemn.
The Mystic Void Realm cultivator continued, "The Ancient God Clan race never accepts escort missions from caravan companies."
His voice carried a certain certainty, "This is not in line with the norm of the Ancient God Clan."
Another expert at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the two. "Not bad."
"You do indeed possess the aura of the Ancient God Clan." His tone grew increasingly icy.
"Moreover, the Ancient God Clan and the Holy Clan have always had a friendly relationship." He slowly raised his longsword.
"So—" "The two of you must be allies of those three from earlier."
The air froze completely at that moment, and the two Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators fell silent.
They didn't continue to argue. After a brief silence, one of them slightly turned his head and exchanged a very subtle glance with his companion.
In that instant, Qin Yu's eyes turned cold; he had been watching their every move.
The next moment, Qin Yu suddenly shouted, "They're trying to escape!!" His voice was like thunder.
As soon as the words were spoken, the two cultivators suddenly retreated, their figures transforming into two streaks of light as they attempted to tear through the void and escape.
However, at this moment, the remaining six escorting cultivators were already on high alert. "You're courting death!!" Shen Qingchen roared, his spear suddenly sweeping horizontally.
"Rending Sky Spear River!" With a swing of the spear, countless spear shadows spread out in the void, and the silver spear light poured down like a galaxy, instantly sealing off tens of thousands of feet of space.
Another Mystic Void Realm cultivator formed hand seals. "Realm-Suppressing Heavenly Seal!"
A massive golden seal descended from the sky with a deafening roar, its shadow pressing down like a mountain, causing the space itself to collapse layer by layer.
The third cultivator unleashed a burst of sword light. "Ten Thousand Blades Return to Heaven!" Thousands of sword lights transformed into a rain of swords in the starry sky, falling in a deluge.
The other three also attacked simultaneously, their lightning-fast attacks piercing the void, their flames transforming into a sea of fire that swept across the Vine Domain.
The array-patterned chains intertwined in space to form a cage, and the six supernatural powers erupted almost simultaneously.
The entire Heaven-Piercing Ancient Vine Star Domain was completely illuminated by the divine light, and the faces of the two Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme cultivators instantly turned pale. They immediately launched a counterattack.
One of them roared and thrust out both palms, unleashing a black storm that attempted to tear apart the blockade.
The other person directly unleashed a protective divine light, attempting to forcefully break through, but the combined attack of six powerful individuals was terrifying.
Just as the torrent of supernatural power was about to descend, the cultivator suddenly revealed a ruthless look.
He suddenly grabbed his companion's shoulder. "Sorry!" The next moment, he actually flung the man violently into the torrent of supernatural power.
"Boom--!!" The Six Paths Divine Power instantly engulfed the thrown cultivator. Spear light, sword light, lightning, and sea of fire erupted simultaneously.
The cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme didn't even have time to scream before his entire body was completely torn apart by the storm of divine power.
The physical body shattered, the soul was annihilated, and all traces of existence were completely erased.
Meanwhile, the real fugitive had already used this brief opening to unleash a strange and powerful technique.
"Karmic Reverse Escape!!"
His figure suddenly blurred in the void, a causal line was forcibly severed, and he disappeared into the depths of the Vine Domain along the altered causal trajectory.
As the aftershocks of the supernatural power dissipated, only silence remained in the starry sky, and from the remains of the cultivator who had been thrown out, an ancient token slowly fell.
The Mystic Void Realm cultivator reached out and caught the token, his expression suddenly changing. The token was clearly engraved with the runes of the Ancient God Clan.
Everyone immediately understood everything; it really was someone from the Ancient God Clan. Qin Yu's gaze darkened slightly; he had completely confirmed it— Luo Qingchuan.
The old man from the Ancient God Clan race at the auction—it was all clearly his doing.
While everyone was still in shock, Qin Yu suddenly said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoists," he said, his gaze fixed on the direction the fleeing figure had taken, "We absolutely cannot let him escape."
Qin Yu said seriously, "Once he goes back to report, it will pose a major threat to our entire convoy."
He had already taken a step forward. "I'll go after him," Qin Yu said. "Fellow Daoists, continue escorting the caravan; I'll catch up shortly."
As he spoke, his divine sense had already locked onto the remaining causal trajectory.
A cold thought flashed through Qin Yu's mind, "We must nip this in the bud." "If we let him go back alive—" "The consequences will be endless."
Shen Qingchen's expression changed upon hearing this, and he was about to reach out to stop Qin Yu. "Brother Qin--!" However, before he could finish speaking...
Qin Yu's figure had vanished abruptly, leaving only a torn trace of cause and effect in the void. He had already followed the trail of the fugitive in pursuit.
The Heaven-Piercing Ancient Vine Star Domain returned to silence, stardust floating among the vines drifted slowly in the void, and the array patterns on the transport vehicle stabilized once more. Although the battle had been brief, it had consumed a considerable amount of time, and everyone's expressions became serious.
The cultivator in the Mystic Void Realm · Middle Stage in the group slowly concealed his aura, looked at the others, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
His gaze swept across the depths of the vine-covered domain, his tone remarkably calm. "Even if that person escaped, he was already severely injured. Since Brother Qin Yu has caught up with him, he should be able to kill him."
He sighed softly. "Let's hurry on our way." His gaze fell on the rows of sealed crystal boxes of medicinal herbs on the hearse.
"We've already wasted enough time on this Heaven-Reaching Ancient Vine."
His tone turned serious. "If we cannot escort the medicinal herbs to North City Stele Forest Imperial City on time... none of us can bear this responsibility."
The others nodded in agreement.
Shen Qingchen remained standing in the same spot, gazing silently in the direction Qin Yu had departed, a hint of worry in his eyes. After a moment, he finally shook his head and gripped his spear tightly once more.
"Alright." Shen Qingchen took a deep breath. "Let's continue on our way."
He looked at the crowd and said, "I hope Brother Qin can kill that man and then catch up with us."
After saying that, he returned to his escort position first.
The remaining six cultivators quickly returned to their positions and reformed the escort formation. The array patterns on the transport vehicle lit up again, and the Star-Patterned Giant Beast dragged the massive vehicle slowly into the depths of the vine domain. The figures of the seven gradually disappeared into the enormous shadow of the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Vine.
Meanwhile, deep within the Skeleton Star Sea, in a strange region...
The scenery here is completely different from that of the Vine Domain. Huge mountain peaks are suspended upside down in the sky. It's as if some force has reversed gravity, with the mountain tops facing down and the bases facing up, floating in the void.
Huge rocks broke off from the mountainside, but instead of falling, they floated and rotated slowly in the air. The entire area resembled an upside-down world.
Here lies a wondrous sight deep within the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Vine that reach the heavens— the Inverted Mountains. From the void, a disheveled figure staggers in.
The Ancient God Clan cultivator who Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme was now in a state of disordered aura. The protective divine light around his body was almost completely shattered, and cracks remained on his chest from the impact of the divine power, with his spiritual energy constantly leaking out.
He landed on an upside-down rock, swaying before barely managing to steady himself. "Damn it..."
He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, "That Qin Yu is truly insidious."
While circulating his internal energy to suppress his injuries, he couldn't help but curse, "Those three good-for-nothings from the Holy Clan are just unbelievable."
If those three hadn't exposed themselves beforehand, the situation would never have turned out this way.
His original plan with his companions was to ambush Qin Yu after the escort team entered the depths of the Vine Domain, and then quickly escape.
However, Qin Yu turned the tables and used it against him, causing the entire situation to collapse completely.
He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding, overhanging mountains. "Let's find a place to rest and recuperate..."
However, just as he was about to set off, a calm voice suddenly rang out from the void behind him.
"What?" The voice carried a hint of mockery. "Not going back to report to Luo Qingchuan?" "Instead, you intend to recuperate and heal here?"
The cultivator at the Realm Breaking Realm · Supreme was suddenly startled. He turned around almost instantly, and in the void, a figure was quietly suspended there.
His black robes fluttered in the wind, his aura calm and profound. It was Qin Yu. The cultivator's pupils suddenly contracted.
He stared intently at Qin Yu, his face instantly darkening. "Hmph." "You, surnamed Qin," he said coldly, "I didn't expect you to dare to chase after me."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Qin Yu's lips as his gaze fell indifferently on the other party. "I originally thought you were lackeys sent by the Hua Lineage."
Qin Yu said calmly, "But I didn't expect you to be from the Ancient God Clan." He slowly took a step forward.
The void trembled slightly. "And I," Qin Yu, "Have never had any grudge against your Ancient God Clan." His gaze gradually turned cold.
"However—" "That old man from the Ancient God Clan race at the auction." "Luo Qingchuan." His voice paused slightly.
"He must have arranged for the two of you to follow me." "And then prepare to kill me." The ancient Ancient God Clan cultivator was silent for a moment.
Then, he suddenly sneered. "Not bad." His eyes held a chilling glint.
"Originally, the two of us planned to Annihilation you as soon as you left to Returning Light Heavenly City."
His tone gradually turned somber. "Who Dao Path?"
He gritted his teeth and said, "This really left us both at a loss." So they decided to change their plans on the spot.
They infiltrated the escort team intending to ambush Qin Yu en route, "but what they didn't expect was—"
A flash of anger crossed his eyes. "The Holy Clan actually wants to kill you too." "If those three idiots hadn't exposed themselves beforehand..."
His voice was low and venomous. "I killed you long ago." Qin Yu merely chuckled after hearing this.
There was a hint of sarcasm in his smile. "How laughable," Qin Yu said slowly. "Your scheme—" "is riddled with flaws."
His gaze sharpened. "You really thought...?" "I knew you two existed from the very beginning?"
Qin Yu gently shook his head. "I just—" "Don't care at all." The void between the Inverted Mountains suddenly fell silent.
Their auras slowly collided in the air.